Missouri Working Families Relief Fund

The Missouri Working Families Relief Fund provides union members with another avenue to be on the front lines and help working people who’ve had their lives turned upside down. The fund will provide some financial assistance to natural disaster victims to help them begin to rebuild their lives.

Dislocated Worker Program – Rapid Response Team

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Established by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Dislocated Worker – Rapid Response Program, encompasses strategies and activities for state or designated entities to respond as quickly as possible following an announcement of permanent closure, mass layoff, or natural or other disasters that result in a mass job loss.

For over 20 years, the Missouri AFL-CIO has been a state partner to connect dislocated workers to the resources and assistance they need to re-enter the job market quickly following a closure or layoff. As part of these efforts, program staff host Surviving Layoff Workshops and Transition Team Trainings. With the understanding that unemployment presents a host of challenges, the workshop and training are intended to give workers the opportunity to engage in financial planning and coping strategies to ensure that the duration of unemployment is not only manageable but, most importantly, temporary.

During the workshop and training, program staff present information on the following topics:

Managing stress by understanding it is okay to discuss the situation with your family and access state resources as needed

Contacting your union and the AFL-CIO community to learn about helpful resources that may be available

In contrast to the Surviving Layoff Workshop which happens following a closure or lay off, the Transition Team Training takes place if there is sufficient time given in advance of a layoff or closure. In that case, program staff will train a small number of workers to act as peer counselors. The training focuses on the same aspects of unemployment and is provided with the intention of providing wrap-around assistance so workers can serve as resources to each other.